QUEENS — Even “cavemen” should have websites, a Queens tech company says.
Its-your-internet, a Forest Hills firm that provides internet consulting and develops websites, recently launched SitesForCavemen.com, which offers services meant to suit the needs of small businesses that have a fear of technology.
The owner, Jonathan Jaffe, who lives in Forest Hills, said he noticed that many small businesses in the area still did not have their websites.
He was also stunned to read on the Statistic Brain website, that according to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 75 per cent of businesses nationwide do not have a website.
To many business owners, Jaffe said, “even something as simple as a tweet, becomes unimaginably complex.”
The problem, he said, is simple.
“Many are afraid of computers,” Jaffe said.
Jaffe's services are billed on a monthly basis starting at $99 a month. There is no contract required and business owners have the option of purchasing the content, if they no longer want the company to maintain their website, Jaffe said.
Packages include domain and email and unlimited changes to the site, he said. The premium package includes Facebook postings, Tweeting, and Pinterest, all of which aim to inform the community about the business's services.
“The people who are my clients — they truly understand that they are far behind in the technology curve,” said Jaffe, who opened It's-your-internet on Austin Street about 5 years ago.
Since then, he said, he has done work on a number of websites for local businesses and organizations, including Forestdale, Queens Community House, Teacup Pup Puppies and Austin Optics.
Jukay Hsu, the founder of Coalition for Queens, a tech advocacy group, agreed that fear of technology is a problem among many business owners. "Many small businesses in New York still do not have websites because they focus on their products,” Hsu said. But having a website, he said, would definitely increase a company’s visibility and effectiveness.
Dr. Beth Permutter, of Austin Optics, said she got her website about 5 years ago. “People can find us through our website and it has definitely increased the awareness in the neighborhood about our services,” she said.
